The present invention relates to a protective cover for a medical instrument. Specifically, the present invention relates to a cover for a medical instrument which cover can be easily removed from said medical instrument.
Recent years have seen an ever-increasing incidence in the number of new persons suffering from Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Moreover, many health agencies predict that the number of new cases of persons suffering from AIDS will continue to rise in the coming years. Due to the very serious nature of the AIDS disease, much research and effort has been dedicated to finding ways of preventing the spread of this disease.
It is currently believed that AIDS is caused by a virus which is spread from one human to another through the exchange of certain body fluids. For example, it is generally accepted that the AIDS virus can be spread through the exchange of blood, semen, saliva, and the like. Accordingly, much of the research conducted with preventing the spread of the AIDS virus has been directed to preventing the inadvertent exchange of body fluids.
For example, many dentists are now performing dental procedures with protective gloves and face masks to prevent the accidental exchange of blood and/or saliva. Additionally, elaborate means have been developed to protect nurses and lab technicians who deal with human blood from becoming infected with the AIDS virus through the accidental exchange of body fluids.
Endoscopes are medical instruments well known to those skilled in the art. The term endoscope generally refers to an instrument for visualizing the interior of a hollow organ such as the colon or the urethra. A variety of medical instruments fall within the scope of the term "endoscope". For example, flexible endoscopes include upper G.I. fiberscopes, sigmoidoscopes, duodenoscopes or colonoscopes. As the name implies, sigmoidoscopes, duodenoscopes and colonoscopes are employed to visualize areas of the colon or intestine. Endoscopes generally comprise some type of fiberoptic system in a flexible covering. Due to the expensive nature of an endoscope, it is not possible to merely discard an endoscope after use. Accordingly, it is necessary to thoroughly clean and sterilize an endoscope between uses to ensure that body fluids such as blood and the like are not transmitted from one patient to another through the use of a common endoscope.
Unfortunately, the ability to thoroughly clean and effectively sterilize an endoscope is largely dependent upon the skill and care of the person in charge of cleaning and sterilizing the endoscope. The cleaning and sterilization of such endoscopes can be a time consuming and tedious job. Due to the difficulty of cleaning and sterilizing the endoscopes it is believed that there may be occasions when the endoscopes are not thoroughly cleaned and sterilized between uses and that transfer of a virus, such as the AIDS virus, may be possible.